Server-side control objects for processing client-side user interface elements

Abstract

A server-side control object processes and generates a client-side user interface element for display on a web page. Multiple server-side control objects may be combined into a hierarchy of server-side control objects that cooperate to generate the resulting authoring language code, such as HTML, for display of a web page on a client. The operation of processing the client-side user interface element may include at least one of an event handling operation, a postback data handling operation, a data binding operation, and a state management operation. The state management operation relates to the state of a server-side control object.

1. A hierarchy of server-side control objects, executable by a computer and embodied in one or more computer-readable media, for processing one or more client-side user interface elements incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the hierarchy of server-side control objects comprising:
 one or more server-side child objects corresponding to the one or more client-side user interface elements, at least one of the server-side child objects handling postback input received from the client and generating authoring language data for display of the client-side user interface element on the client;  
 at least one hierarchical identifier received from the client in association with the postback input specifying one of the server-side child objects; and  
 a server-side page object hierarchically related to the one or more server-side child objects and receiving the postback input for distribution to the one of the server-side child objects based on the hierarchical identifier.  
 
     
     
       2. The hierarchy of server-side control objects of  claim 1  wherein the page object hierarchically contains the one or more server-side child objects. 
     
     
       3. The hierarchy of server-side control objects of  claim 1  wherein each server-side child object is created responsive to an access to the server-side control object specified by the hierarchical identifier and remains in existence until after generation of the authoring language data for a corresponding client-side user interface element on the client. 
     
     
       4. The hierarchy of server-side control objects of  claim 1  wherein each server-side child object is created responsive to an access to the server-side control object specified by the hierarchical identifier and remains in existence until after generation of the authoring language data for a corresponding client-side user interface element on the client. 
     
     
       5. A computer program storage medium readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process that processes one or more client-side user interface elements incorporated in a web page on a client, the computer process comprising:
 inputting one or more declarations from a server-side declaration datastore;  
 generating a hierarchy of server-side control objects programmed based on the declarations to provide functionality of the client-side user interface elements;  
 receiving a unique hierarchical identifier referencing one or more of the server-side control objects in the hierarchy of server-side control objects;  
 receiving postback input information associated with the unique hierarchical identifier;  
 resolving the unique hierarchical identifier to identify a referenced server-side control object;  
 passing the postback input information to the referenced server-side control object;  
 processing the postback input information using the referenced server-side control object; and  
 generating authoring language data from the hierarchy of server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface elements in the web gage.  
 
     
     
       6. A method for processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the method comprising:
 reading a declaration from a resource;  
 generating a first server-side control object that corresponds to a first client-side user interface element;  
 generating a second server-side control object that corresponds to the first client-side user interface element, such that the first and the second server-side control objects exist concurrently;  
 processing the client-side user interface element using the concurrently existing server-side control objects; and  
 generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page subsequent to the processing operation.  
 
     
     
       7. A method for processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the method comprising:
 reading a declaration from a resource;  
 generating a plurality of concurrently existing server-side control objects that logically correspond to the client-side user interface element, based on the declaration;  
 raising a server-side event associated with a first server-side control object;  
 handling the server-side event using a second server-side control object; ad  
 generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.  
 
     
     
       8. A method for processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the method comprising:
 reading a declaration from a resource;  
 generating a plurality of concurrently existing server-side control objects that logically correspond to the client-side user interface element, based on the declaration;  
 raising a server-side event associated with a first server-side control object;  
 handling the server-side event using a non-user-interface component; and  
 generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.  
 
     
     
       9. A method for processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the method comprising:
 reading a declaration from a resource:  
 generating a first server-side control object that corresponds to a client-side user interface element;  
 generating a second server-side control object that corresponds to the client-side user interface element, such that the first and the second server-side control objects exist concurrently;  
 processing the client-side user interface element using the first and second sever-side control objects; and  
 generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.